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QjSuflWm of t$i (University of (Missouri 



TEN LESSONS 



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THE STUDY OF INDIAN CORN 




A MODEL EAR. 



Prepared by M. F. MILLER 

AND 

Arranged by R. H. EMBERSON, 

Both of the College of Agriculture, University of Missouri, 
Columbia, Mo. 



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FOREWORD. 



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These lessons on Indian Corn were prepared by Prof M. 
F. Miller of the Missouri Agricultural College, with some very 
slight modifications by myself. They were prepared especially 
for use in the rural schools and I am sure that rural school 
teachers will find them very helpful. 

In these outlines no mention is made of any text book, but 
it should not be inferred from this that a book is not desirable. 
On the contrary it is earnestly recommended that the teacher 
make the largest use of the adopted text on Agriculture. The 
lessons of the text should be selected to correspond with the 
work in the outlines; for example, if the school is studying 
corn, select those lessons in the text that relate to that subject. 
By this means both the text and the outlines can be used to the 
greatest advantage. 

For the present, the work should be given to the pupils of 
the seventh or eight grades, or years, which should be combined 
in this subject at least. Teachers will probably find it prefer- 
able to give two lessons a week, thirty-five or forty minutes in 
length, rather than daily lessons of fifteen or twenty minutes in 
length. 

The subject-matter of these lessons may be given by the 
teacher in short talks, or the facts may be presented in question 
form or brief statements placed on the board. Pupils should be 
encouraged to get information from books, papers, bulletins — 
from all sources. Encourage the spirit of inquiry, observation, 
experimentation ; this is worth more than the facts learned. In- 
sist that pupils discuss the things studied and that they put their 
thoughts in clear oral or written discourse. 

Use the note book. Pupils should make a record of each 
fact considered and each conclusion reached. This will make 
them careful and discriminating. 

Above all, try to get pupils to appreciate their environ- 
ment and to make the largest, wisest use of those things which 
they see and handle daily. 

R. H. Emberson, 
Department of Rural Education, 
College of Agriculture, University of Missouri, 

Columbia, Mo. 
Columbia, Mo., August 18, 1909. 



'&er d. 

OCT 27 1913 



LESSON I. ' 

THE HISTORY AND USES OF INDIAN CORN. 

Indian Corn is a native of America. Columbus found it 
being grown by the Indians at the time of the discovery of this 
continent. It has been found in many of the mounds of the 
ancient Mound Builders, showing that many of the ancient peo- 
ple of America cultivated this plant. 

Its early use was undoubtedly for human food; the ears 
of that time were small and inferior to the fine, large ears of 
the present time. This great improvement in the quality has 
been brought about by the continual selection of the better ears 
for planting and by a more careful attention to the matter of 
soil preparation and cultivation. It shows very plainly what 
proper methods of culture and selection will do. The Indian 
warrior whose time was given to hunting, fishing and fighting 
always left the growing of the corn to his faithful wife or 
squaw. She had no means of preparing the land except by 
digging it up with a clam-shell or scratching it with a crooked 
stick and there is little wonder that the ears produced were 
small and few in number. 

With the coming of the white man, the plow, the corn- 
planter and the cultivator, a great advance was made in the 
methods of culture and the result was at once shown in the 
great improvement in the yield and quality of the crop. 

.Corn is today the greatest American crop. Four fifths of 
the world's corn crop is grown in this country. The number 
of bushels produced in the United States, in 1908, was over 
2,500,000,000. 

Missouri produced in 1908, over 200,000,000 bushels, 
worth from $75,000,000 to $100,000,000. 

The uses to which corn is put are many. By far the lar- 
gest amount is fed to live-stock on the farms where it is grown. 
Immense quantities of it are used for human food in various 
forms, such as corn-bread, hominy, corn-meal mush, and a 
large number of the so-called breakfast foods. From the grain 
is manufactured starch and also oil which is used for table 
purposes, mixing paints, lubricating purposes, manufacturing 
soap and other things. Glucose or syrup is one of the import- 
ant corn products. It is heavy, transparent and not so sweet as 
cane syrup and has little if any flavor. In solid form it is called 

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grape sugar. Rubber is another one of the corn products ; it is 
used in the manufacture of boots, shoes, machine belts, lino- 
leums, etc. The pith of the stalk is used for padding for war 
ships to protect them from the effects of cannon balls. 

Suggestive Questions. — Of what country is corn a native? 
What was the quality of the early variety as compared with the 
present? What has brought about this improvement? Why 
did the Indians make no improvement in the cultivation or 
quality of corn? Give the number of bushels grown in Mis- 
souri, in 1908, and calculate its value at current prices. Write 
a short paper to The Uses Of Corn. 

LESSON II. 

THE CORN PLANT {The Roots and Leaves). 

How many people who have seen corn fields every year 
during their entire lives, have really given any notice to the 
way in which the corn plant grows? How many know of 
what use the blades, the tassel, the silks, and the roots are to 
the plant. And how many realize that a knowledge of how the 
plant grows is of great value to the farmer, in giving it just 
the attention it needs at the various seasons of the year, in or- 
der that it may produce the largest amount of grain ? People 
are just learning that such knowledge not only makes the grow- 
ing of corn a great deal more interesting, but enables the 
farmer to produce more corn per acre. 

The plan of nature in guiding the growth of the plant 
seems to be primarily that of producing grain and every ef- 
fort is centered on that object. The roots extend downward 
and sidewise into the soil for the purpose of gathering mineral 
foods and moisture. The complete manner in which these 
roots penetrate the soil is such that there is rarely a cubic inch 
of soil in the upper four feet that hasn't one or more small 
roots passing through it. It has been shown that on an average 
corn plant, the total length of root if they were all placed end 
to end would reach 1-4 of a mile. Everyone has noticed how 
dry the ground in a corn field gets, late in the summer when the 
plants are large and when the rainfall is deficient. This shows 
the great power of the roots in removing moisture from the 
soil. Take a spade and dig into the soil near the stalk of corn 
and notice how many roots there are and how close they come 

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to the surface. Later in the season notice too, the brace roots 
put out from the joint just above ground in order to brace the 
plant in the wind. 

The blades are frequently called the digestive organs 
of the plant, for in these we find the plant food which 
is brought up by the roots being digested and combining with 
certain substances absorbed or breathed in by the leaf from the 
air. It is in the leaf that the starch is manufactured which is 
later transferred to the kernels on the ear where it is stored. 
To remove any of the leaves from a corn plant when they are 
green and the plant is growing would be to greatly reduce its 
power of forming grain. A good growth of healthy leaves is 
therefore essential to a large production of corn. 

Have you ever noticed the wavy margins of the corn 
blades? These are made so in order that the leaf may bend 
sidewise readily in the wind and not be torn or injured. The 
sheaths of the leaf which surround the stalk gather water which 
the plant absorbs directly through the stalk. A great deal of 
moisture from the dew and light showers is thus used that 
might otherwise be lost. 

Count the number of blades on several stalks of corn and 
notice how they vary in length and width. Notice too, how 
they are produced from the joint, one on one side and the next 
on the other. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR HOME STUDY. 

Select ten corn stalks for a study. Count the number of 
joints and blades. Are they even or odd ? How high do unde- 
veloped ears grow on the stalk? Notice the shape of the stalk 
below the ear ; above it ; state the difference. Count the num- 
ber of shucks on the ear. Compare with number of blades 
above the ear. Count the number of joints on shank of ear 
and compare with number of joints above the ear. 

Find ten average stalks. Measure height. Find average 
height. Where is the ear found, nearest the top or base of 
stalk? 

See if the largest ears are on the largest stalks. What are 
the advantages of large blades? 

Dig up a full grown stalk of corn, being careful to break 
as few roots as possible, and study the root structure of the 

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plant. Notice how brace roots form; how high do the brace 
roots extend? 

Note. — Teachers should write to the Department of Agri- 
culture, Washington, D. C, and secure a copy of Farmers Bul- 
letin, No. 199, on Corn Growing, The Germination of Seed 
Corn, No. 253- and the bulletin on The Use of Illustrative Ma- 
terial in Teaching Agriculture in Rural Schools, which is a re- 
print from the Year Book of Agriculture, 1905. A postal card 
will secure these valuable bulletins which should be read by all 
the pupils of the seventh and eighth grades of the rural schools. 

LESSON III. 

THE CORN PLANT (The Tassel and the Ear). 

The manner in which a perfect ear of corn is produced is 
the most interesting part of the growth of a corn plant. No- 
tice that every kernel has one silk fastened to its tip and that 
it runs down between the rows and out to the tip where they 
creep out at the end of the husks? This is all for a purpose. 
What is it? 

You have seen the tassels creep out from the roll of blades 
at the top and soon after, spread out, opening a large number 
of little sacks from which a fine yellow dust floated into the 
air. Each particle of this dust, called pollen, if magnified by a 
powerful magnifying glass is seen to be a little ball, like a small 
seed. In order that the cobs of the corn may bear kernels, it 
is necessary that one of these small pollen grains fall on each 
silk projecting from the husks of the ear. The silks are moist 
and the pollen grains stick to them and sprout, as it were, send- 
ing a tiny tube like a root, down the whole length of the silk 
to the young kernel when it immediately begins to grow. This 
is what is known as the process of fertilization in corn, and it 
is necessary to the production of kernels. 

Sometimes pollen grains from a white variety will blow on 
to the silks of a yellow variety and the result is a mixture which 
shows in the white caps on the yellow kernels. If pollen from a 
yellow variety falls on the silks of a white variety the kernels 
will show yellow sides. Every boy has noticed this mixing 
where white and yellow varieties of corn are planted side by 
side. These light pollen grains will blow long distances in the 
wind and it is therefore very common to find occasional mixed 
kernels in almost every corn field. 

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Examine a number of ears for mixed kernels. Notice also 
at the tips or butts of the ears where some kernels whose silks 
have come out too early or too late and have failed to be fer- 
tilized thus preventing their development. 




pollen sacks and the pollen grains coming from them 
(highly magnified). 

Go to the corn field and notice how the ears come out just 
at the attachment of a leaf with the stalk. See how many stalks 
can be found with two good ears, or with one good ear and a 
nubbin. Notice that where there are two well developed ears 
this is usually on stalks which are not crowded in the row but 
have more room to grow and gather food and moisture than the 
average. 

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Notice that most of the ears hang over when they are ripe. 
Those that stand up allow water to run down into the husks 
and do not dry out well. They frequently mould. What does 
this suggest to you in selecting seed corn? Notice that some 
stalks bear no well developed ears. This is usually due to the 
fact that they haven't had enough plant food and moisture due 
to crowding or to weeds or to dry weather or to poor cultiva- 
tion. 




CORN SILKS SHOWING POLLEN GRAINS FALLING ON THEM. 

Figure how many bushels per acre corn will make if it 
averages two stalks in a hill three feet eight inches each way 
and if each ear weigh 3-4 of a pound. 

Make an estimate of the number of acres of corn planted 
in your school district. Taking the number of bushels per acre, 
as determined in the above problem, calculate the number 
of bushels that were produced in your school district. Esti- 
mate its value at the current prices paid for corn. 

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If it costs $16 to raise an acre of corn, including interest, 
taxes, labor, etc., calculate the rate of gain or loss per acre. 

LESSON IV. 

WHAT IS A GOOD EAR OF CORN? 

Ears of corn vary greatly in character and when the ker- 
nels from a particular kind of ear are planted, the stalks pro- 
duced, grow ears very much like the one planted. Consequently 
if one is to grow the best kind of corn, the best ears should be 




EARS SHOWING WIDE, MEDIUM AND CLOSE SPACE BETWEEN 
ROWS. 

selected for seed. It is just as important therefore to know 
what a good ear of corn is in growing corn as to know what a 
good animal is when we are raising animals. 



A good ear of corn may be described as follows : The ear 
should be from 9 to 10 1-2 inches long and from seven to seven 
and one-half inches around, measured at a point 1-3 the dis- 
tance from the butt to the tip. It should be practically the same 
diameter from end to end; that is it should not be distinctly 
tapering. The rows of kernels should be straight and the ker- 
nels should be of such a shape that they will fit tightly together 
with no furrows left between the rows. The butts should be 
well rounded out with kernels evenly arranged around a cup 
shaped cavity about one inch across. The tips should be well 
filled out to the end with deep, even kernels. The kernels of 
the ear should all be very nearly the same size and shape. They 
should be wedge shaped but not pointed; they should have 
large, smooth hearts or germs, not blistered or discolored. The 
length of the kernel should be about 1 1-2 times as great as its 
width at the widest part and it should be of the same thickness 
from one end to the other. The kernels should show no mix- 
ture with corn of the opposite color. The cob should be of 
medium size, neither very large nor very small. 

Secure a number of ears of corn and notice the faults of 
each. Pick out the ones that are most nearly perfect. Take an 
ear and write a description of it telling in what points it is good 
and in what points it is imperfect. 

LESSON V. 

JUDGING CORN {Single Ears). 

To learn to recognize a good ear of corn quickly it is 
usually necessary to practice judging a number of ears 
as to their quality. To become an expert judge of 
livestock one must see them often and must observe their 
good and bad points. The same is true of ears of corn; but 
just as anyone can become a good judge of stock by giving the 
matter attention, just so can one become a good judge of corn. 

Lay five ears of corn on the table and try to pick out the 
one having the least number of faults. Go over the various 
points of the ear as given in Lesson 4, in the description of a 
good ear, and place that ear which is most nearly perfect on the 
left. Put the next best one second, the third best third, and so 
on. In what ways is No. 1 better than No. 2 ? Give the good 
and bad points of each ear. 

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In finding the depth and shape of the kernel, pick out a 
number of kernels from one side of the ear near the middle and 
lay them with the germs up in order to compare the kernels of 
the various ears. This will also show the size of the cob. Look 
for mixed kernels. Remember that in white corn the yellow 
color due to mixing with yellow corn, shows on the sides of the 




SAMPLE OF BUTTS, TIPS AND COBS. THE TIP ON LEFT IS IDEAL, 

IN MIDDLE FAIR, ON THE RIGHT POOR. THE BUTT ON THE 

LEFT IS TOO SMALL, ON THE RIGHT TOO LARGE, IN THE 

MIDDLE GOOD. THE COBS ON LEFT ARE TOO SMALL, 

ON THE RIGHT TOO LARGE, IN THE MIDDLE 

GOOD. 

kernels rather than on the caps, while in yellow corn the mixed 
kernels show white caps. This mixture is very undesirable 
where one wishes to grow pure varieties. 

Cobs should be red in yellow corn and white in white corn, 
with the exception of St. Charles White which has a red cob. 

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THE KERNELS OF THE TOP ROW ARE TOO SHORT, THOSE OF THE 

SECOND ROW TOO LONG AND SLIM, THOSE OF THE THIRD AND 

FOURTH ROWS ARE GOOD.. THE BOTTOM ROW SHOWS 

GERMS OF DIFFERENT SIZES. 

LESSON VI. 

CORN SCORING. 

At Fairs and other places where corn is shown for pre- 
miums it is customary to show 10 ears together as a sample. 
Consequently in judging such samples ten ears must be con- 
sidered instead of a single ear. To help in this judging a card 
giving a scale of points arranged to represent the different 
characters of the ears is used. This is called a score card and 
the one that is used in Missouri is as follows : 

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Scale of Points. 

Maturity and soundness 10 

Uniformity of ears 10 

Length 10 

Circumference 5 

Purity of cobs 5 

Purity of kernels 5 

Uniformity of kernels io 

Shape of kernels . . io 

Character of germ io 

Space between rows 5 

Butts 5 

Tips 5 

Size of cob io 

Total ioo 



How to Use the Score Card. 

Maturity and Soundness, (io.) 

An ear that is not mature will not be perfectly tight. This 
is best determined by giving the ear a slight twist. The kernels 
should all be sound and free from decay. For every ear not 
perfectly mature and sound, cut the exhibit one point. 
Uniformity of Ears, (io.) 

All ears in the sample should be as nearly alike in every 
way as possible. This is very important. They should be the 
same in size, in color and in character of kernel. For every ear 
strikingly different from the average cut one point. 
Shape of Ears, (io.) 

Ears should be practically the same diameter from one end 
to the other. For each ear that is distinctly tapering cut one 
point. 
Length, (io.) 

Ears should be between 9 and 10 1-2 inches in length. For 
every ear that is under 8 1-2 inches or for every ear that is 
over 10 1-2 inches, cut one point. 
Circumference. (5.) 

Ears should be from 7 to 7 1-2 inches around measured 
at a point 1-3 the distance from butt to tip. For each ear less 
than 7 inches or over 7 3-4 inches cut one-half point. 

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Purity of Cob. (5.) 

Yellow corn should have red cobs and white corn, white 
cobs (with the exception of St. Charles White). A single 
ear with a cob of the wrong color bars an exhibit from com- 
peting for prizes. 
Purity of Kernel. (5.) 

For every mixed kernel in the exhibit cut one- fourth point. 
Uniformity of Kernels. (5.) 

All ears should have kernels of approximately the same 
size. For every ear having kernels larger or smaller than the 
average cut one-half point. 
Shape of Kernels. (5.) 

Take out two kernels from the middle of each ear. Cut 
one-half point for each ear having poorly shaped kernels. 




TEN GOOD EARS OF CORN. 

Character of Germ. (10.) 

Examine kernels of each ear as to the character of germ 
and cut one point for each ear having poor, germs. 
Space Betzveen Rows. (5.) 

For each ear having wide furrows between the rows of 
kernels, cut one-half point. 
Butts. (5.) 

For each poor butt cut one-half point. 
Tips. (5.) 

For each poor tip, cut one-half point. 
Size of Cob. (10.) 

For each ear having a cob either too large or too small, 
cut one point. 



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Add together the total number of points cut and subtract 
from ioo. This gives the number of points the sample scores. 

Score a number of samples and find the ones scoring 
highest. 

Get several samples of ten ears each. Each pupil should 
score them by himself, making note of the sample that scores 
the highest, the next highest, etc. 

Pupils should compare their scoring and discuss the sub- 
ject freely. It is not the scoring so much as the close obser- 
vation of the corn that is desired. 

LESSON VII. 

THE KERNEL. 

A kernel of corn is a small store-house of material from 
which nature grows a new corn plant. The part called the 
germ contains a small plant ready to grow when the necessary 
moisture, air and warmth are supplied. The material stored 
in the kernel consists of starch, oil and protein which are used 
as food for this small plant until it develops roots large enough 
to gather food from the soil and its leaves are large enough 
to digest this material which the soil supplies. 

By cutting open a kernel with a knife the germ may 
readily be separated from the more starchy part and a close ex- 
amination of this germ will show an oily character since the 
germ contains most of the oil of the kernel. The white starch 
and the more horny starch, may readily be seen. The quantity 
of this horny starch determines the hardness of the kernel. 
Many farmers object to corn with kernels that have a great 
deal of this horny part as it is harder for animals to chew. 
Such corn contains more protein than that containing a large 
amount of the white starch however, and usually makes 
stronger, thriftier stalks when planted. 

One can tell a good deal about the strength of germina- 
tion of kernels by a careful examination of the germ. If the 
germ shows a fresh oily appearance when cut open and if the 
outside is smooth, fresh, and not blistered, this indicates that it 
will grow well. If it is discolored, either on the outside or on 
the inside, and if the outside is blistered or rough it will very 
probably not grow well. 

Lay twenty-five kernels side by side on the table with germ 
side up and pick out the ones of the best shape and with the 

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best germs. Cut off the point of the kernel with a knife or 
bite it off and pick out the kernels which look like they would 
not grow. 



Crown 

Starch 



Horny 

Starch 



fHorny 

[Gluten 




Embryo)/ 
Stem J 



Embryo 
Boot 



KERNEL SHOWING DIFFERENT PARTS. 



LESSON VIII. 

THE TESTING OF SEED CORN. 

To be sure that corn will grow it is often necessary to 
test it for strength of germination. Take a shallow box a foot 
and a half square, such as an old table drawer, and half fill it 
with sand. Cut a piece of muslin that will just fit the box 

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and mark it off with a lead pencil into squares i 1-2 inches 
each way. Begin in the upper left hand corner and number 
these squares. Wet the sand in the box with clean water and 
lay the cloth on it. 

Secure as many ears of corn as there are squares on the 
muslin and lay them in a row on a shelf or board numbering 
from left to right. Now take ten kernels from ear No. 1 and 
place in square No. 1, ten kernels from ear No. 2, and place 
in square No. 2 and so on until the squares are filled, laying 
all the kernels flat on the sides. Take the kernels from differ- 
ent parts of the ear. Cut another piece of muslin just to fit the 
box and lay carefully over the corn. Moisten with water. 
Take some heavy cloth (sacks or whatever is handy), and 
lay on top, wetting down well. Keep in a warm place for 4 
or 5 days moistening the cloth covers occasionally. 

At the end of this time carefully roll back the cloth covers 
and notice which ears have germinated strongly and which 
ones have kernels that have failed to germinate. An ear having 
kernels that sprout weakly or one having two or more kernels 
that fail to sprout will not do to plant. Examine such ears 
and see if the germs look bad. Compare them with the good 
ears as to the character of the germ. 

Another way to make this experiment is to fill a cigar box 
with sand. Drive tacks in the edge of the box, two inches 
apart ; divide the sand into sections by stretching a string 
around the tacks, and push the kernels into the sand. 

LESSON IX. 

HOW A CORN KERNEL GROWS. 
A kernel of corn will sprout or germinate when kept warm, 
moist and supplied with air, as has been shown in the preceding 
lesson. Secure a box six inches deep and a couple of feet 
long and fill with sand. In this, plant kernels of corn 3 inches 
apart and one inch deep. Moisten well with water and set 
in a warm place. At the end of two days, dig up a kernel 
near one end of the box, wash off the sand carefully and 
make a drawing showing the sprouts that have started. The 
fourth day dig up another and make a similar drawing. Like- 
wise the sixth, eighth and ten days. Study each plant care- 
fully as it is dug up. Compare the drawings and see how the 
plants have developed. 

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You will notice that a kernel first sends out a single sprout 
from the tip end of the germ and a little later one appears 
from the other end. From the first sprout a single root at 
first develops but in a few days two more roots make their 
appearance, thus giving three strong roots to fasten in the 
soil and gather food which the plant will begin to need just 
as soon as that stored in the seed is used up. 

Notice too, that as these three roots develop they throw 
out fine hairs near the ends. These are for sucking in the 
water and dissolved mineral plant food from the soil. 

The sprout which grows from the upper end of the germ 
forms the leaves. The unfolding of these leaves is readily 
observed as they push through the soil to the light. 

It is very interesting to notice that no difference in what 
position the kernel is placed in the soil, the roots always turn 
downward and the leaf sprout turns upward. This is readily 
shown by planting a kernel with the tip end up and then digging 
it up just after the leaves have appeared above ground. 

Since the leaves of the plant must always appear above 
ground where there is sunlight, before any amount of growth 
will take place, the soil should be made fine and loose before 
planting so that the plant will have little difficulty pushing its 
way through. Poor soil preparation is often responsible for 
poor stands and poor yields of corn. There is an old saying 
that "corn is half tended before it is planted," meaning that the 
preparation of a proper seed bed is one of the most important 
things in growing corn and that where it is properly prepared 
the corn is easy to cultivate and keep free of weeds. 

The depth at which corn should be planted is determined 
largely by the amount of moisture present, or in other words 
those conditions which will cause the kernels to sprout and 
come up quickly. If the ground is moist and mellow, one to 
one and a half inches is deep enough. If it is dry on the sur- 
face it may be necessary to plant the corn three or four inches 
deep to get it, into moist soil where Ir will sprout. The deeper 
it is planted the harder it is for it to get up, however, and it is 
much better to plant it near the surface if the soil is moist. 
Try planting kernels at one, two, three and four inches deep 
in moist sand to observe the time required for each to come 
up. 

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LESSON X. 

WHY CORN IS CULTIVATED. 
Most people think that corn is cultivated simply to kill 
weeds, and while this is the main reason it is not the only 
one. It is necessary to keep the corn free of weeds if it is to 
make its best growth, especially on dry seasons, since the weeds 
are great robbers of both moisture and food. If they are al- 
lowed to grow the corn will usually not get enough food and 
moisture and will not make the largest growth and yield. The 
best time to kill weeds is just as they are starting and before 




A BUSHEL OF GOOD CORN. 

they are firmly set in the soil. A good plan is to run a harrow 
over the corn just after it is up. This will destroy a few corn 
plants but not many and it will kill almost all the young weeds 
that are usually just starting. Sometimes it is well to harrow 
two or three times when the corn is young, but this must soon 
be followed with a cultivator which stirs the surface of the 
soil 3 or 4 inches deep, pulverizes it, breaks any crust formed 
by a rain and lets the air down into the soil. 

This stirring of the surface soil is a great benefit to the 
corn, besides the mere killing of the weeds. Air is necessary 
to the proper growth of the roots and this loosening of the 
surface allows the air to enter more freely. This is very im- 



portant, especially on those soils that tend to run together and 
become compact. 

But there is another important reason for cultivation and 
that is to save moisture. Where a soil is hard and settled 
together and has a crust on it, as is usually the case after a 
heavy fain, the water creeps to the surface, evaporates into the 
air and is thus lost for the use of the growing corn. This is 
especially true late in the cultivating season when it is apt 
to be dry. If this surface is stirred and made loose and porous, 
this layer of loose earth acts just as a blanket thrown over the 
soil and holds the moisture for the use of the corn. This is 
very important on dry seasons. On wet seasons this cultivation 
for saving moisture is not so necessary. It is then largely a 
matter of killing weeds. 

One mistake that is often made in cultivating corn is to 
cultivate too deep, especially late in the season. If you dig 
down a few inches out from the row, when corn is two or 
three feet high, you will find the roots within two or three 
inches of the surface. A cultivator running four or five 
inches deep will break a large number of these roots on which 
the corn is depending for its moisture and food, thus greatly 
injuring it, especially if the weather is dry. If the season 
is wet, this injury is not so great, and on such times where the 
weeds have gotten a start it may be necessary to cultivate deep 
to remove them. Deep cultivation is also sometimes necessary 
on hard, compact soils but on most upland soils, on average 
seasons, the last plowings should be only about three inches 
deep. 

Have you ever noticed the lower corn blades die after a 
deep plowing on a dry season? This was because the roots 
were broken in large numbers and a considerable 
share of the moisture and plant food thus cut off from the 
plants. The more we study about the way a corn plant grows 
therefore, the better we know how to care for a corn crop. 



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